Petition 20784602 Details

General Petition Information

Abstract:

In 1836, Reverend John Littlejohn stipulated in his will that his slave Mary should be freed in March 1845, when she reached the age of twenty-five. However she was sold by Littlejohn's grandson-in-law, William Hughes, to George Miller. Miller claims her as his slave and wants to remove her from Kentucky. The deed of manumission was disregarded by Miller and he took Mary "with the intention of selling and disposing of her beyond the limits of this Commonwealth." Mary sues Miller for "the reasonable value of her services while kept by him as his slave" and asks the court to "decree that she is free."